With an aging population and a declining birthrate, where will BC tourism employers find workers? Part of the answer to that question may be outside Canada.
Where do our workers come from now?
Only Canadian citizens and permanent residents have the right to work in Canada. However, each year a number of foreign workers are given temporary work visas. In 2009, over 44,000 foreign workers came to British Columbia. Most of those came from the US, Japan, Australia, the Philippines and the UK¹.
Within the tourism industry, especially in places like Whistler, we have seen annual increases in the number of temporary foreign workers from Australia, the UK and Japan. As the pool of Canadian workers shrinks and industries like tourism grow, employers are increasingly looking outside Canada for workers. Some industries experiencing labour shortages, like agriculture and health care, have already developed programs to make it easier for employers to hire temporary foreign workers. Currently the tourism industry does not have an industry-specific program designed to assist employers to find foreign workers. As a tourism employer, you can only hire foreign workers on one of four major types of temporary working visas—a Work Visa, a Working Holiday Visa, a Student Visa, or through the Provincial Nominee Program.
What is a Work Visa?
Work Visas are granted by the Foreign Worker Program. A foreigner wishing to work in Canada must obtain a job offer from a Canadian employer and approval from Human Resources & Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) before entering Canada. Work Visas allow foreign workers into Canada to temporarily meet employers’ labour demands. Work Visas are granted only after it has been determined that the foreign worker will not be taking a job from a Canadian. Work Visas must be applied for from outside Canada. Applications cost about C$150.00 and take several months to process.
Work Visas are usually granted for 2-3 years. Naturally, many individuals on Work Visas don’t want to leave when their Work Visa expires. With Canadian work experience, it can sometimes be easier to apply to immigrate. For example, immigration applicants may be able to claim additional points on their permanent residence application and it might be possible for them to have their permanent residence application processed while they continue to live in Canada.
To get more information and download applications for the Foreign Worker Program, visit:
What is a Working Holiday Visa?
The second type of temporary work permit is the Working Holiday Visa. This type of visa allows young people between the ages of 18 and 30 to travel to Canada and work at the same time. Every year young people from Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Latvia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom work in Canada on this type of visa.
A Working Holiday Visa may be obtained from a number of Working Holiday Programs. Each Working Holiday Program has its own criteria, application quotas and submission deadlines.
Student Visas
While studying in Canada, international students are eligible to work in Canada after meeting certain requirements — and after receiving the appropriate work permits. There are four programs that students (and their spouse) can use to obtain a work permit: Working Off-Campus, Co-op & Internship programs, Working After Graduation and Spousal Visa.
What is the British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BCPNP)?
The Provincial Nominee Program was established by the federal government in recognition of the shortage of skilled workers in various sectors. The purpose of the program is to facilitate the hiring of skilled workers from outside Canada for full-time, permanent positions. The government has simplified "out of country" hiring by putting a step by step process in place that is easier and faster than ever before.
Get more information at: BC Provincial Nominee Program
Where will we get our workers from?
Although foreign workers are not the complete solution to the tourism industry’s upcoming skills shortages, they are definitely a part of it and, increasingly, a bigger part. With fewer and fewer Canadian workers and an almost endless supply of willing foreign workers from all over the world, BC employers will increasingly look outside Canada for workers to fill both temporary (visas) and permanent (BCPNP) employment.
¹ Source: WelcomeBC.ca